Gerbera plant named ‘Acadia’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Acadia’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely flowering habit; white-colored ray florets; white-colored disc florets with yellow-colored apices; and upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Botanical designation: Gerbera jamesonii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ACADIA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera jamesonii and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Acadia’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera cultivars with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination during the summer of 2005 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flocave’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,339, as the female, or seed, parent with Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flomite’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,309, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the spring of 2006.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the summer of 2006 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Acadia’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Acadia’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely flowering habit.     -   3. White-colored ray florets.     -   4. White-colored disc florets with yellow-colored apices.     -   5. Upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Flocave’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have stronger leaves than plants of         ‘Flocave’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have shorter scapes than plants of         ‘Flocave’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have more uniform inflorescences         than plants of ‘Flocave’.     -   4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Gerbera have longer and         more numerous inner ray florets than inflorescences of plants of         ‘Flocave’.     -   5. Disc florets of plants of the new Gerbera have yellow-colored         apices whereas disc florets of plants of ‘Flocave’ have         pink-colored apices.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent, ‘Flomite’, primarily in ray floret color as plants of ‘Flomite’ have orange red-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera jamesonii ‘Everlast White’, not patented. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Everlast White’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more uniform in growth habit         than plants of ‘Everlast White’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Everlast White’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have semi-double type         inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Everlast White’ have single         type inflorescences.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera have thicker scapes than plants of         ‘Everlast White’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Acadia’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in a glass-covered greenhouse during the spring and summer in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 19° C. to 26° C. and night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 18° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were planted in 19-cm containers and were six months old when the photograph was taken and ten months old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera jamesonii ‘Acadia’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flocave’,             disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,339.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flomite’,             disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,309. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 2.5 weeks at temperatures of             20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About five to six             weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderate branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennials with semi-double             inflorescences that are typically grown as a container or             garden plants; compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant             habit; leaves arranged in basal rosettes and outwardly             arching; dense and bushy habit; moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height.—About 49 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 70 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 47 cm.         -   Width.—About 14 cm.         -   Shape.—Runcinate; lanceolate to narrowly elliptic in             outline.         -   Apex.—Obtuse to abruptly acute.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Pinnately lobed with coarse and irregular sinuses,             lobes divergent; undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Moderately pubescent; woolly.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 139A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N139A; venation,             close to 144B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 137C; venation, close to 144B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 12 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately pubescent. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: Close to 143B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double type inflorescence form with             narrowly obovate-shaped ray florets; solitary inflorescences             borne on upright, strong and relatively short scapes above             the foliar plane; ray and disc florets arranged acropetally             on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about four months             after planting and flower from early spring to the end of             the summer in outdoor gardens in The Netherlands; plants             flower year-round under greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two weeks             on the plant; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about eight open and developing inflorescences per plant at             one time.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.6 cm. Diameter: About             3.6 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 144B; mid-section,             close to 203D.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 10.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.5 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 cm. Receptacle             height: About 9 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 9 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to NN155C.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: Initially upright, then roughly             perpendicular to the peduncle and reflexing. Length: About             5.2 cm. Width: About 1.1 cm. Shape: Narrowly obovate. Apex:             Obtuse, rounded. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; longitudinally             ridged. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 95             outer ray florets and about 600 inner ray florets arranged             in about four whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface:             Close to NN155A to NN155B. When opening, lower surface:             Close to 150D; towards the base, close to 157D. Fully             opened, upper surface: Close to NN155D. Fully opened, lower             surface: Close to 150D.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, fused. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 4.5 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 500. Color, immature: Close             to 202A. Color, mature: Apex, close to 6D; mid-section and             base, close to N155A to 155A.         -   Pappus.—Quantity per floret: About 50. Length: About 8 mm.             Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color: Close to             N77A and 187A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About             100 in about three to four whorls. Length: About 1.5 cm.             Width: About 3.1 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base:             Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Densely tomentose. Color,             upper surface: Close to 143A. Color, lower surface: Close to             137B.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 40 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Angle:             Erect. Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color:             Close to 144B; towards the apex, close to 137B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Quantity per floret: Two. Filament length: About 6 mm.             Filament color: Close to NN155C. Anther shape: Lanceolate.             Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close to 12B.             Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 12A.             Gynoecium: Present on disc and ray florets. Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Stigma shape:             Rounded; curved. Stigma color: Close to 155D. Style length:             About 1 cm. Style color: Close to NN155C. Ovary color: Close             to 145D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Gerberas has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera grown     under commercial conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 1° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Acadia’ as illustrated and described. 